Oscars Show Secrets: Tom Cruise edition

Oscars Show Secrets: Rihanna and Tom Cruise Jokes You Didn’t Hear, the Lady Gaga Saga and Whether Jimmy Kimmel Will Return (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/xjDRdXFQLU

— Variety (@Variety) March 14, 2023

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ executive producer Molly McNearney and Walt Disney TV alternative head Rob Mills share the behind-the-scenes scoop on how this year’s Oscars telecast went down

They say that they joked about scientology only cause Tom Cruise wasn’t in the room that night but if he was they would honor him

Kimmel had planned to spend a good chunk of his Oscars monologue riffing on how Tom Cruise had helped save the movies thanks to “Top Gun Maverick.” But when Cruise decided to bow out of this year’s event, most of those gags ended up on the cutting room floor.

“Jimmy loves Tom. Tom had just been on the show the week before,” McNearney said. “And they talked about seeing each other and Jimmy was excited to tell him that we got real Navy pilots to do the flyover at the top of the Oscars. Jimmy was really disappointed he didn’t come.”

Would that “L. Ron Hubba Hubba” joke have been used if Cruise were in the room? “No. We had about a three minute chunk of the monologue dedicated to Tom Cruise, honoring him and his role in reviving the movie industry. We were so disappointed when we learned a few days before the Oscars that he wouldn’t be there. Jimmy loves him and really wanted to celebrate him.”

Tom didn’t go because of Nicole Kidman presence?

Tom Cruise missed Oscars to avoid seeing ex Nicole Kidman in person: report https://t.co/6nDHht4cEW pic.twitter.com/618Od8eoKx

— Page Six (@PageSix) March 14, 2023

A source reportedly told the Daily Mail on Monday:

“Tom was not there because she was there, and he did not want a run-in”

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